Telephone companies have long offered directory assistance service. A typical caller dials a special number, such as xe2x80x9c411xe2x80x9d for directory assistance. Often the caller who requests assistance is connected to an operator. Recent advances in voice recognition systems permit 411 services to connect the caller to a voice recognition computer. The computer has a store of digital files, including prompts for the caller. In response to information provided by the caller, the voice recognition system either identifies the requested subscriber phone number or passes the call to an operator.
The operator and the voice recognition system have access to one or more computers that store the telephone numbers for local and long-distance subscribers. Subscriber telephone numbers are stored in accordance with subscriber data. Such data includes the name of the subscriber and the subscriber location including street address, city or town, and state. After the 411 service acquires the requested phone number, the number is usually automatically announced to the caller. The announcement is a computer-generated voice signal that gives the caller the requested subscriber phone number. Advances in directory assistance technology allow the directory assistance equipment and its caller to interact. Now a caller can choose to let the directory assistance equipment automatically place the call to the requested phone number. The announcement directs the user to press a specified key on the telephone pad or say xe2x80x9cyesxe2x80x9d if the user wants the directory assistance equipment to dial the number. Often there is a charge for automatic connection.
After a customer pays for directory assistance, the customer may manually make a permanent record of the desired number in a personal directory. The directory may be a book, part of a personal organizer, digital assistant, or in a database that stores information on a computer. Some frequently called numbers may be stored in the telephone where they can be selected for speed dialing. Selecting a programming key on the telephone to access the feature normally activates a conventional speed-dialing feature. Then the desired number is dialed into the telephone and becomes associated with an abbreviated dialing code. When the user wants to call the desired number, the dialing code for the desired number is dialed instead of the actual number. The telephone set generates a series of DTMF tones that correspond to the desired number.
If the customer fails to make a permanent record of the desired number, he may have to make a second directory assistance call to find the number. Personal directories can be lost or the data stored in a personal organizer or digital assistant may be accidentally deleted. Telephone sets with speed dialing have limited storage capacity. Perhaps as many as twenty numbers can be stored on a telephone. However, the information in a personal directory and the speed-dialing ability of one phone is useless if the customer does not have his directory or is away from the programmed telephone. For example, the customer may forget to take his personal directory on a trip. Again, the customer is faced with placing a directory assistance call to acquire the desired number.
The invention is a public network based personal directory system. It includes a translation server for interfacing the telephone set with a site on a computer network that holds frequently dialed numbers of the caller. When calls are made from the caller""s own telephone number, a caller identification module in the translation server identifies an address on the computer where the caller""s personal directory is stored. As an alternative, the caller may dial a special access number from other locations. Upon entry of an authorization code, the caller is then connected to his personal directory.
The directory is a site on a computer network, such as the Internet. Private networks may also be used, but using the Internet reduces administrative costs. Each subscriber to the personal directory service has a home page at a site located on the World Wide Web. The translation server includes a voice recognition or DTMF module for converting the caller""s voice to commands. It also has a text-to-speech module that includes a programmed series of prompts and responses for assisting the subscriber. The subscriber gives his name and/or authorization code. The translation server converts them into the universal resource locator address that corresponds to the identified subscriber. A server locates the web site that includes the home page of the subscriber. Then the subscriber requests the number of one of the names in his personal directory. The voice recognition module converts the spoken name into a home page search request and locates the desired number. Upon confirmation, the translation server passes the call to the telephone network and the network rings the desired number.
The switch receives a telephone call from a caller who requests his personal directory. Dialing a special telephone number does this. The personal directory system has a voice path to the caller through the switch and assumes control of the call from the switch. The personal directory has computer-based equipment that includes one or more memories that store and retrieve a list of home pages for personal directory subscribers. Each subscriber home page has a list of the subscriber""s frequently dialed phone numbers and corresponding speed dial codes.
In the preferred embodiment, the home pages are stored on a site located on the Internet. The telephone company that provides the personal directory service maintains that site.